Hearts of Falling Water
by Shizuku Tsukishima749
Summary: He twisted to meet a soaked Hermione, her hair disheveled due to the forceful rain. Her eyes watched him in grave concern and hesitation, unsure if what she were about to say should be said. "I love you!" Oneshot. HHr


**Hearts of Falling Water**

"Go on, everyone, get inside and out of the rain! Be sure to keep quiet and get to your Common Rooms as fast as you can without causing suspicion!"

"Goodbye, Harry!"

"Thank you, Harry!"

"Goodnight, Harry Potter! Be sure the Nargles don't steal your socks during the night; they seem to enjoy causing people to think they're going mad."

"I'll definitely keep that in mind! Thank you, Luna, and goodnight! Sleep well!"

The fifteen-year-old watched all of his 'students', his friends, run through the main courtyard entrance and into the Wizarding school, which, this particular year, had failed to teach them anything productive whatsoever, at least on the subject of Defense Against The Dark Arts.

Because of the hag the Ministry had the audacity to call 'qualified' for the position of Defense Against The Dark Arts professor _and_ Headmistress of Hogwarts, the school had been gutted from within, talk of overthrowing the foul woman and her Inquisitorial Squad whispered of often, and executing the secret act of sneaking behind her just-begging-to-be-stabbed back and learning the spells they were forbidden to be taught.

Once he saw that they were all safe and inside, Harry began to follow their lead, hoping to dry off in front of the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room as the rain pelted his unprotected uniform at a rapid pace; he had chosen the _perfect _day to forget his cloak.

"Harry, wait!" The boy was abruptly halted as a tender but anxious hand touched his shoulder, and a voice with those same emotions pierced his ears through the rain.

He twisted his head around to meet a soaked Hermione, her hair disheveled as it drifted to random areas of her forehead; what struck him, though, was her eyes. They watched him in grave hesitation, unsure if what she was about to say should be said. She spoke, despite her prominent voice's warnings.

"What if what we're doing is wrong?!" She called over the incessant downpour, her hand maneuvering to his shoulder again in a weary attempt to draw strength from him, strength she assuredly needed.

"What?!" He cried incredulously, disbelieving what he heard, though he knew his hearing was far from dissipated.

She scowled, though more to herself than him, and the pressure on his shoulder increased as she shouted into the rainy night,

"I love you!"

Harry fell silent, his expression a merge of great surprise and a strange calmness. Oddly enough, his emotions were not jumbled or buzzing around inside of him as one would expect, but instead, they backed off to allow another feeling, a new one, to overcome them all.

It was true that this sensation was unheard of in his heart, in the way that it was deeper, purer, more…exhilarating than any he'd felt in his life; he understood this directly as he noticed his cheeks feeling hotter than normal, and raised a slow hand to touch one of them.

He was more than perplexed when he found that they had the same heat in them as they had when he'd kissed Cho Chang…

Though there was one thing similar between Hermione and Cho, there were still a number of differences between the Ravenclaw beauty and his best friend.

Whenever around or even gazing at Cho Chang, he always felt nervous, had never been able to mention the battle with Voldemort last year without her breaking completely, and couldn't speak Hermione's name or spend even a_ split _second of time with her without the girl getting unreasonably upset.

Now, Hermione…Merlin, he couldn't grab hold of the realization of how different the girls truly were! Hermione was a special type of girl with whom he never failed to feel comfortable around, a girl who had never judged him, nor one he had ever felt uneasy or apprehensive around.

She would not care what damage she inflicted upon herself as she listened to his fears and struggles, nightmares and heartaches; he had to admit that she hadn't sounded especially thrilled when she'd inquired if he and Cho had kissed, but after she'd explained the reasons for the Ravenclaw's crying into their intimate contact, she'd seemed…concerned for the Asian girl, even though she'd supposedly loved Harry all through that time.

No, not "supposedly". He knew just by peering into her burning-with-love brown eyes that her words were pure and true, as they, along with her, always had been. He also knew that, now, it was his turn to say something in response.

**_A/N: Some of you may have noticed that the basis of this story is a scene from the 'Order of the Phoenix' movie. I thought that particular scene would be perfect for this, and I continue to be mesmerized by it! (This is not a one-shot, for those who are wondering.)_**

**_Now, for those of you who are familiar with my work, you KNOW that I have never before written anything where a character expresses their emotions to another, or where two express the same to each other. Thus, you can hypothesize (hopefully you won't have to) that I may be...horrid on that subject. That said, bear with me, please! _**

**_ Review, please! Preferably BEFORE you Favorite, thank you very much! It's very rude and cruel to Favorite or Alert something/someone, and then never reveal WHY you did so! _**


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